See my youtube video

Yes I did film this. Let me tell you what is happening: We had 6 pallets stacked with a microwave on top of them. In side the microwave was a gallon of gasoline. We poured a bunch of gas on the pallets and lit it on fire. Also on the pallets were several new and unused propane tanks. The plan was that when we shot the propane tanks they would explode in the fire making a fire ball. Well I guess we didn't pour enough gas on the pallets to begin with and the flame went out. So Ben went back up to light the fire again and put more propane tanks up as targets. The rest, you will enjoy watching. It really was a lot of fun. Yes I did take my pellet gun, but I also took my 7mm, they are both a lot of fun to shoot. I think there were near 20 people there and I hope that we can do this again. I love my guns. I will continue to shoot my guns. I will continue to buy guns. My children will be taught gun safety, and how to shoot a gun. Education is in many ways better than elimination. Really, this was a lot of fun.

The School of Life

It has been some time since I have posted on our blog, and after taking my last final of the semester I thought that I would take a moment and remember what happened during this last three months:
Gabe was born, that is semi apparent on our blog. Having him around adds to life that really is indescribable. Some will say wait 'till you have your own, you'll see how they change your life. Initially I was thinking about the scheduling, and the sleep, and the dollar value of raising another person. I have learned that these are all minor changes in my life. I want to smile more because I want him to see his dad smile. I have recognized the true power and beauty of my heaven sent wife. She will be holding Gabe after feeding him watching the news, working on the computer, or thinking of all the possibilities of the day, and I sit next to her and rest my head on her shoulder because my day of joking with co-workers, talking with customers and playing with paper, boy I get tired after an 8+ hour shift. She is a wonder woman.
I am also a better student. When we first got married I still wasn't the best student, but now that I am responsible for being a good example for my own son, and if I want to be able to say "If I can get good grades, you can get good grades." I am also learning better to see the beauty in the moment. I have several nieces and nephews that are 4 and 5 so I am excited for that age because that is a fun play age. But watching him learn that he has hands, and a mouth that can be used for things other than eating. Watching him laugh. Watching him recognize me and my voice. I love being a dad!
School taught me to be more accepting of people and to look past the clothes, the hair, the accent of their voice, but to listen to what they are saying and try to understand why they have the point of view they do. But also that we are living in modern day Book of Mormon times and that people are selfish and prideful and willing to say anything to get them in office, I mean where they want to be. This has also boosted my faith in God. It has amazed me that some people put their trust in men more than God. They trust a man or woman who will say what they believe the public wants to hear and then flip to the other side to do what they want. Versus putting trust in a God that has a perfect record. If He says something, it will happen. A Being that has the ability to give and take life, to call the heavens together, compared to a man or woman that will say that they will change the country for the better, but can't take care of their health or marriage in a exemplary fashion.
I know that there is a God in heaven, life is to complicated, fragile and short for there not to be, and because I have felt His guiding hand in my life, I have felt His Spirit and seen His work in action. There is a God, and He is our Father.

Two Months Old

Still only in the 28% for weight, but he started in the 3%. Check out that double chin!

This is one of the best parts about being a mom.

Gabriel at One Month Old

Photos by Jamie Van Orden

Blessing the Boy

Gabe is going to be blessed tomorrow Sunday Nov. 2nd. The building is on 4395 Albright Dr. (2145 E.) Our meetings start at 1 pm and the sacrament meeting starts at 2:50. There are going to be light snacks at our house after. If any of you other father's have any tips for a nervous father about to bless his first, feel free to send them my way.

Congratulations!

For those who haven't heard, Christopher Van Orden has been called to serve in the Austrailia, Adelaide mission! Congratulations on your choice to serve, Chris! We love you!

Home Improvement

Kitchen

Before: ugly wallpaper

After:



Nursery

During: (forgot to take before pics):

This is my wonderful brother Jay who may kill me for posting this picture.

After:

Stars and moon bedding. Overstock.com rocks!

The Inspiration: Starry Night

Master Bath (tax rebate project)

Before: Carpet. Who does that?

Dry rot. One of many reasons carpet does not belong in bathrooms.

After:

Notice the toilet in the bathtub. does it look precarious to you? Shortly after this picture it tipped over and broke both the toilet and the bathtub! Yep, we're out a few hundred dollars for a new toilet and bathtub repair. It would have been worth the extra $50 to have the tile people install it for us. At least we have a great memory now of shopping for our first new toilet.

Thanks to Jay and Sabreena for all their help!

Should have known better by now, but no...

So lets get the numbers down first. Gabe has peed once in the middle of a diaper change while I changed him. He has peed several times when Jenn has changed him. Why, I am not sure. I think it may have something to do with the way she holds his legs in the air, not quite as high as I do, or something like that.

So this morning, after I had showered and had my Sunday pants on getting ready for church I went into the nursery to talk with Jenn while she was changing Gabe's diaper. As we are talking, Jenn is looking at Gabe and I assume watching what she is doing, I was looking at the floor, the window, something other than Gabe's plumbing. Jenn shriek's and kinda does a side jump. Before I know what is going on, I feel warm wet go across my belly and pants as Gabe pees. He was aimed at Jenn, and she, out of self preservation turned the fire hose off to the side keeping her out of the line of fire.
So, what is worse? The fact that I got peed on, or the fact that Jenn aimed the enemy fire toward the middle of the room onto the carpet. They are both wrong. Where was either the used diaper to use as a shield, or the clean diaper to use as a shield. Using a diaper would have been a better solution to the attack then just redirecting the fire into the a crowd of innocent bystanders.
Will this lesson teach me to never go into the nursery when Gabe is being changed by his mother? Am I going to change his diaper as often as possible to avoid being peed on? Does Jenn need to reevaluate her diaper changing process?, and yes she does take off the diaper and then put it back over the fire hose to try to prevent these kinds of terrorist attacks. I don't know the answers to all these questions, but hopefully we will learn from this experience and not pee on the carpet in the future.

2 of 8

Deep green eyes, long dark brown curly hair, and long fingers, red rosy cheeks, Montana was a beautiful baby girl. She had long fingers and long feet with little toes. Her cry wasn’t really a cry; it was more of a whimper, just loud enough to let someone know that she needed some attention. Being born at only five pounds even Helena was worried about Montana’s ability to regulate her own body temperature, but with in a few hours, they knew she was a strong and willed child and had no doubts. She had all of her motor skills that a new born should have. Would suck on ones finger and her grip was as stronger than Phoenix’s was at birth.
Phoenix was going to breast feed Montana. She had several reasons for this. Some were the sheer cost of formula, and worrying about keeping bottles warm, and enough formula with her when she went out with her baby. But she had also learned about the amazing health benefits that come from breast feeding to both the mother and the baby. In her birthing class she learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to nurse a child. So she and Montana practiced several times a day and eventually they both learned how to nurse perfectly.
While Phoenix was working at the grocery store she had a 45% off employee discount which she used to buy diapers, so much for saving up for a car. Though Phoenix didn’t know how big Montana would be when she was born, she started buying all sizes of diapers. Though her stock pile was most full of #2 and #3 diapers, no matter what they would be used some time.
Although Montana was a beautiful baby girl, and she didn’t cry loud often, didn’t mean she was a mild child. She was a difficult little girl. If you remember that she was born into a family of “gifted” women, and these gifts did not pass over her. Again recall to when Phoenix was in labor, and everyone was able to know her thoughts, as if they could read her mind, or, as if she could put her thoughts into the minds of others. And Grandma Crystal had the ability to move things with her mind, and great grandma Helena could know the future and past. When Rufus kicked Phoenix in the stomach yes this was frightening because it could have seriously injured Montana in the womb, but what no one could predict is that this would amplify Montana’s “gifts” as well. Montana, even as an infant, could move some things with her mind, just like her grandma. In most ways she was just like any other infant her age. Her arms would jerk and move with no muscle tone, or intent; the same with her eyes and feet. And every time her hands fell into her mouth she would suck on them naturally. She was too young to be able to control her body, but her mind was sharp. And though her eyes were shifty and couldn’t focus on anything at any distance, she could see shapes and outlines. One day lying on her mother’s bed she held her head still and looked up at the ceiling fan. Only seeing a large round thing, she had no idea what it was, but with no extra effort the fan was spinning backwards faster than it would forward on the fast setting. This sent paper and sheets into the air. When a lamp fell over Phoenix ran up stairs to witness the event and stared in awe. Calling her mother and grandmother, they came running and were also amazed. As far as Helena could remember, no one had ever demonstrated their gifts until they had at least hit puberty. Phoenix started to prepare from then on for what may come in the future.
Phoenix went back to school only 10 weeks after Montana was born, and Crystal, the proud and excited grandma got to stay at home and knit clothes for Montana all day! She was in second heaven. Phoenix was treated differently at school. She was treated better by her teachers and her councilors than she was before. And her class mates were worse to her than before. Though when they found that Phoenix had delivered her baby naturally, they became more kind, and patient. It was here in school that Phoenix started to perfect her gift. She was an honest student and never used her gift to get a better grade, but she did get elected as the junior class president by a clean sweep at the end of her sophomore year, and she did get asked out by all the cutest guys in school all summer long.
Montana grew fast. It only took about four months for her to be tipping the scales at 10 pounds. She still spent most of her time sleeping and eating, which means that she filled a lot of diapers. Grandma loved to watch her sleep. When she was in the REM sleep her eyes would shift and move and she would pull some of the best faces while she was asleep. She was also able to see much better and had a great developing mind. She recognised faces and could make deliberate sounds. She made a sound that she loved. It started deep and then went really high, she made her self laugh. As time passed, Montana grew like a little girl should. She was a constant learner. She loved to play peek-a-boo with her family, but soon enjoyed playing with other toys more. Though she was 12 months and still breast fed in the morning, she was eating real food too. She really liked rhubarb, fresh from the garden, and sour. She made the best faces when she was eating rhubarb! This little girl’s gift had already gotten her into some trouble. She had recently discovered that she could move things with her mind, and was told “No” several times a day when her toys would glide quickly across the kitchen floor while grandma was cooking dinner. You might be able to guess what her first word was. No, and she loved saying it. She had a very simple understanding of the meaning, but it drove her mother batty when she would say no at bed time.
When Phoenix when back to school in the fall. Crystal again took the lead on raising Montana. Helena was quite busy at the cattle prod museum and wasn’t home most of the day either. Montana and her grandmother built a strong trust spending most of their time together. Crystal tried to keep to a steady schedule which Montana really liked, but that didn’t mean she never had to cry to get something. As Montana started to crawl, she couldn’t stand to be so close to the ground, and going so slow. She saw her family walking and running, and she had to keep up. Crystal spent most of the school year watching Montana learn her world around her. Taking notes so that she could share them with Phoenix when she got home from school. As Montana became more aware of her self, learning that she was her own person, and had her own likes and dislikes, Montana was turning into a real person, instead of a poop factory. And with all the time that Montana and Crystal spent together, there was an easy to see attachment between the two. Montana knew how her mother was but, she would rather be with her grandmother. On top of spending most of their time together, they both shared the same gift of moving things with their mind. Crystal would toss Montana in the air without touching her, and Montana would throw food at Crystal without getting her hands dirty. They enjoyed that.

Gabe at 6 Days Old

Pictures taken by Jamie VanOrden

How Freaked Out Are You Really?

I have been surprised by many of the reactions I have received when people find out I opted for natural childbirth. Unfortunately, a lot of those reactions have been negative. So I would like to share my thoughts on why I chose a natural birth and what I think now that I have done it.

When I got pregnant, like most women in this country, I assumed I would have my baby in the hospital with all the drugs and monitoring devices that come along with it. That's just the way it's done, right? But every time I thought about the birth I was glad that it seemed a long way off because, quite frankely, it freaked me out! I was there when my sister Sara had her first baby, and I left the hospital that day a little traumatized by the whole experience. Ok, a lot traumatized. Every moment of the labor and delivery seemed like a life or death event. There was the epidural, the fetal heart monitor with it's tenuous readings, the IV dripping fluids and medication, the episiotomy (holy crap!). Then when the baby came out, she was plopped on a cold examination table, weight, measured and screaming before she was given to my sister to hold.

So, yes, the thought of child birth seem pretty scary to me. One day I came across the blog of an aquaintance from highschool who had just had her third baby by natural childbirth. She talked about how great the experience was compared to her first two births which had been in the hospital. What she wrote intrigued me so I decided to look into it. That night I told RT that I thought we should consider natural childbirth. When I said the words "natural child birth" the blood drained out of his face, and he promptly remided me how I had reacted just a few months earlier when I fractured my knee cap in an unfortunate shopping cart incident in the Costco parking lot (don't ask). He helped me relive the experience as he described how I had collapsed in shock and pewked all over the concrete. I couldn't argue with the point he was making. I have a very low tolerance for pain. That is just a fact of life that I live with. Yet somehow I still felt compelled to look into natural childbirth. RT and I agreed that we would look into it, but not make any decisions until we had really done our research.

I started doing research online, and found lots of great information, including info on the Birth and Family Place, the only free-standing birth center in Salt Lake City. They held an open house that RT and I went to. We got to tour the facility, meet the nurse midwife, Becky, as well as several women who had given birth at the center and were there to answer questions. Becky told us her philosophy on childbirth. She said that baby's belong in the arms of their parents from the moment they are born. That pregnancy is not a medical condition and should not be treated as one. That in a healthy woman with a normal pregnancy the body knows best how to give birth and that intervention (drugs, etc.) should only be used when necessary. That really struck a cord with me. I realized that I had felt like something was wrong with me just because I was pregnant. Suddenly I felt my entire being relax as it occurred to me that there was nothing wrong with me. Pregnancy is a natural, normal condition.

The more RT and I learned, the more comfortable we felt with the idea of natural childbirth and the more uncomfortable we felt with a medicated birth. We enrolled in birthing classes that taught the Bradley Method, and switched from the doctor we had been seeing to the midwife.

The room where Gabe was born

The weeks passed and the big day finally arrived. I'll spare you the details of the birth, but tell you that the experience was truely amazing. There was no trauma, no fear. When Gabriel was born, RT got to catch him and lay him on my chest. And there he stayed for the next hour while we stared at him.

Was it painful? Yes. But not anywhere near as painful as I had anticipated. The fractured knee cap was much worse. In fact, the events that followed that fractured knee cap prepared me for childbirth in a way I would not have expected. While I was crying and shaking in pain with my knee swelling up, RT gave me a blessing. As he spoke the words of that blessing, I felt a wave of peace come over me that made my entire body relaxed, and I found that I was no longer afraid of the pain that I was feeling. I remember thinking to myself that the pain was just as intense as before the blessing, but it didn't hurt as much anymore because I wasn't afraid of it. Because I went into childbirth, educated, prepared and with no fear, it was a peaceful, wonderful experience.

I have heard women say that natural childbirth is an empowering experience. That is so true, but not in the way I expected it to be. I don't feel like I am stronger for having done it, but I have gained an amazing new appreciation for my body, the gift that it is, and the power that it holds. I think the end result speaks for itself.

1 of 8

In my Human Growth and Development class I am supposed to write 8 papers birthing a person, and in the end killing her (I was assigned a girl.) Here is the first paper. Please let me know what you think as Montana grows, it will help her life.



Though this is a story about Montana and her life, we must first go over the history of how she came to be and the history of her family; because unlike you, her family really was “out there”, although to others, they were a boring and normal family. Montana’s mother is Phoenix, and Phoenix’s mother is Crystal, and Crystal’s mother is Helena. Phoenix’s father was a member of one of the world’s most useless yet feared gangs in the history of man. He was an employee of the IRS. After putting a lean on some family’s home, repossessing their cars, and shutting down the 43rd generation candy shop, he was shot, then dipped in a large vat of chocolate and sold to a museum as the largest chocolate figure ever. Phoenix’s grandfather died of old age. Phoenix’s grandma, Helena, was only 87 years young. She was the president of the local book club, and chair woman of Central City’s cattle prod museum. Phoenix’s mother, Crystal, was a professional knitter. She was the best in town. She was known to knit deluxe ties, socks, and one year the home coming queen’s hairdo. The only problem is that no one needed a professional knitter, and now that her husband was gone, Crystal and her family were dirt broke. Some would say extreme poverty, but to them, they were rich in heart. Helena has a cousin that lets them stay in a three bedroom apartment above a paper mill and pay rent when they can. Though this family seems poor and simple, we will soon learn that Helena, Crystal and Phoenix are all very gifted women, even though Phoenix doesn’t know it yet. And Montana, we will wait and see is she also is going to be just as gifted, if not more then the rest. Phoenix was a sophomore at Central City High, just about to turn 16, and was hoping and wishing that she could soon have her driver’s license. Knowing that her mother or grandmother couldn't afford to buy her a car, she started working at the local super market, bagging groceries after school and on Saturdays. It was here at work that Phoenix met Rufus, the dairy boy. Rufus was once a high school football water boy extraordinaire, but because of his failing academic grades he was kicked from the team. With his dreams of college dashed he dropped out of school and planned on being the city’s mayor. Rufus had long thin red hair pulled into a pony tail, and he had started chewing tobacco. And for whatever reason Phoenix couldn't take her eyes off of him. They started spending breaks and lunches together. And though there was a three year difference between them they soon became inseparable. Because of raging hormones, you can guess what soon happened between the two. They started the hanky panky, and Phoenix got knocked up. Though it would about a month before they knew she was expecting, they started drifting away from each other. One thing that Phoenix didn't know about Rufus was that he was dedicated to his job. It was his honor. And one day when she spilled some milk in the dairy cooler, and Rufus flipped. He smacked her in the face, and that wasn't enough. He pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the stomach. Because Phoenix, well really Montana was just young in the womb, this kicked altered her development, and made a small change to her developing brain and heart. Phoenix had tried to keep Rufus a secret from her mother and grandmother, though she wasn't very good at it. Phoenix’s grandmother always knew what Phoenix was up to. Without even being at home when Phoenix had broken something, she knew, as if she could see the past and know the future. So when Phoenix started to feel the pains of morning sickness, she hid it as best she could, but her grandmother approached her and asked her about her body, and how long she might be along. Because of Grandma Helena’s gift to always know what was going on, Phoenix knew it was useless lying to her. She said that she thought that she was 6 weeks along, and that she wanted to tell her mother. Grandma agreed and said that she would go with her. Now Phoenix didn't know how, but it seemed that her mom could be holding things one moment, when before she wasn’t, as if she could move things with her mind. As Phoenix and grandma walked into the room, Crystal knew that something was wrong because of the look on both their faces. No one touched the door, and yet it closed behind them. As Phoenix started to tell her mother the story in greater detail than what she had told her grandmother, the window next to Crystal started to rattle and shake, and ceiling fan started to spin backwards, and before Phoenix had finished her story, the cordless phone was in front of Phoenix, in mid air as her mother said call Rufus and tell him that he had better do better then dairy boy because he is going to be a good father. Phoenix called Rufus and he was crazed! If people found out that he had a child out of wedlock, his possibilities of being Central City’s mayor are history. He wanted nothing to do with this child and hung up the phone. Crystal was to say the least upset as the phone was ripped out of Phoenix’s hand and smashed against the wall by some unseen hand. As timed passed, Phoenix was given a choice as to what she was going to do with her baby. Keep the child or put her up of adoption, and an abortion was out of the question! Rufus hit the road, to try to hide from his now colored past. Phoenix knew that she had to stay in school and graduate. She knew that she wanted to keep the baby, but she needed to talk to her grandmother first, and she knew that her mother had great power using her mind. Without thinking, Phoenix had her baby’s name picked out. Her grandmother always referred to the child as she or her, so it had to be a girl. Montana was a name that she loved and one that her mother liked to. But what would she look like? Would she have red hair like her loser dad, or long dark hair like her grandmother Crystal? Would she be short like her loser dad, or tall like her mom? Phoenix thought about all these things and more as the months passed. And when enough time had passed, she went into labor at home, because she had no insurance, and her grandmother was a certified midwife. Phoenix had gone to birthing classes, and was prepared. And what was amazing, was that during labor she was brought everything that she wanted: water, a cold towel, something to eat, everyone seemed to know exactly what she was thinking of. As Montana entered the world, squeezing through the birth canal, she had no idea that she was coming from a line of such “gifted” women.

A long journey for GRVO

Tuesday at work Jenn called me and said that she was having irregular contractions. I was then on high alert. Wednesday morning Jenn was having regular contractions and at 7:30 in the morning I said what am I doing today? She said your not going any where! So I spent the day with Jenn as she had contractions that were any where between 20 minutes apart and 5 minutes apart. We went for a long walk in the late afternoon which helped a little, but not enough. We got some advise from our Bradley Method instructor that we should call our midwife and get her advise as well as to what we should do, because by now, Jenn had been in labor for 18 hours with no advances. So at 10:45 we went to the birth center to talk to Becky, our midwife. We got to the door and no one came to our knock. At about the same time a mini van came sceaming into the parking lot and I thought it was Becky. Nope, it was Susan, on of the nurses. She let us in and we got cozy in a room waiting. Another mother had called just after we got off the phone with Becky and by the time that we got there, she was pushing and sceaming. So when Becky could pull herself away and come check on Jenn, Jenn was dilated to a 4 and almost effaced completely. Because Jenn had been awake for going on 20 hours she needed sleep. Jenn got a shot of morphine and some other muscle relaxers to help her get some sleep. We got home after the shot at about midnight. Jenn was already asleep when her head hit the pillow. I stayed up another hour to get the bags together, and shower, and get as much in the car as I could to be ready to the following day.
Jenn slept for about 5 hours and at 6 she said I think my water broke. So we got up, and headed to the birth center (which is only about a two minute drive.) Again when we got there, there was another woman pushing out a baby, and again she was right across the hall. And again we were waiting for Becky to get a break and come check on us. Susan was there all night cleaning from the baby at midnight, but she was chipper when we got there, and got us ready. Around 8 Becky was doing a check on Jenn and she was dilated to an 8 and just waiting for her body to say push. So we just waited and worked through each contraction. 10:50 is the noted time on the medical report as to what time Jenn started to push. She was in hard labor pushing labor for over an hour. At 12:13 Thursday afternoon, little Gabriel Richard VanOrden was born at 5 lbs. 1 oz. and 18 in. His apgar scores were 8&9.

So just an up-date on my pellet gun. I have a nice set up in the backyard now. my chair is out behind the garage and the targets are across the yard infront of a compost pile. I usually have around 16targets set up on an old table and can plink them off one at a time. This is just a sample of what a pellet does to a soda can full of water does. The top hole is a second shot the the lower explosion, yes that was done by a pellet gun. I know, it rocks! nothing like my 7mm, but for the price and shooting in my backyard, can't beat it.

Can you guess what this is a picture of? Yes is it a little dark, but I bet you can figure it out.

Getting ready

Our neighbors who just moved were trying to get rid of some of stuff. They had two boys, and we got some stuff. One of the things we got was a halloween costume. Jennifer wanted to make sure that it was safe for her little boy. This is her testing it out. I would really like to know what goes through your head when you see this, because I still haven't decided. Histarical, yes, funny, yes, great, most of the time! I love my wife! ☺

Relaxing is now a lot more fun

Yesterday I came home from work and was stressed over some really meaningless things, but they got to me and I needed to relax. I recently bought an air soft rifle and it is my new zen. I go out into my back yard and put my cross hairs on the target and squeeze the trigger. Not only is this fun, but it forces me to relax. The first three shots I was tense and way off the mark. I took a deep breath, exhaled and squoze. BAM! right on target. I can't be upset when I am shooting, or I get more upset. Sure it is not expensive to shoot pellets, but it is a lot more fun to hit the target.
The photo here doesn't have the scope on the rifle that makes it look bigger and just great, so I'll get you one. My brother in law also has a rifle, and together, we make the little green apples in my backyard into apple sause. (Note: no animals have been hurt in the shooting of my gun, yet.)

Eating smores

So, do you remember that I said that Jenn likes to eat roasted marshmellows in the kitchen, well here it is. I still haven't gotten the video to work, but this will do two things for you. 1) show you her eating habits and 2) show you her 29 week prego belly!

What is going on? It's still July, Right?!

RT and I took these pictures in our local grocery store last Friday. That's right. Last Friday!

It's July! What has this world come to? We have Holloween candy in July!!!!

What's for dinner?

I wish that I had a picture of this, but don't worry, I have it on video, and once I figure how to put that on-line, you can enjoy even more. The other day I came in the kitchen and caught Jennifer roasting a marshmallow over the glass top stove. She found an attachment to the food processor and used that as has stick for roasting. Pregnancy has really altered her appetite just a little, or a lot depending on the day. Currently, we are eating at KFC quite a lot. She will order the honey BBQ sandwich and the three piece chicken strip with honey mustard sauce, and a root beer. It's a lot of fun to watch her as her cravings change. She has a few staples though. The number one is carbonation, then ice cream (every time without fail, she comes home with a new bucket of ice cream) and then boiled eggs, for the last few weeks we've had half dozen boiled eggs in the fridge and we cannot forget tums, her candy. I have not had the chance to be woken up at 3 am in the morning for the a craving, which I am not complaining about, but I'm expecting it.
This is a fun time.

Foreshadowing

Don't worry! This is my sister in law's brand new baby boy! Now we look forward to our little one playing with his cousin that is only 3 months older! But wow, I've never held a baby with such anticipation before!

Pregnancy X Files

The other day, RT was able to feel the baby move for the first time. What an awesome moment! I said to him "Isn't that amazing?!" He replied "Ya, but I can't stop thinking about that movie scene where the alien pops out of the guys stomach."

Funny he should say that because I thought of the exact same thing the first time I felt the baby move about six weeks ago. It got me thinking about all the wierd things that come along with pregnancy. Now I know that every woman is different and every pregnancy is different, so I thought I would put together a brief list of the wierdness that I have experienced so far. If not for your reading enjoyment, then just so I can look back on these memories fondly when they are in the DISTANT past.

1. HEART BURN!!!!! Oh my! I have never experienced anything like it. It is a daily occurance. And every time I think it can't get any worse, it does. This is the number one cause of sleepless nights for me now.

2. Crazy, sometimes boardering on psychotic, dreams. I have never had such vivid dreams before. I wouldn't mind if they weren't always so disturbing. I've taken to praying for good dreams at night because I wake up so often feeling emotionally exhausted after these nightmares. Some of them are truely straight out of the X Files. Fortunately this has turned into a faith promoting experience because the prayers do work.

3. Light headed and dizzy spells. Sometimes I feel like I'm on drugs when I get these.

4.Hair. This is by far the wierdest and grossest one. (Please don't read this one if you have a weak stomach.) My leg hair hardly grows, and my armpit hair has disappeared all together. Not that this is a bad thing. It's just that other parts of my body(which shall remain unnamed for your sanity) seem to be growing fur!!!!! SICK!!!!!!!!!

5. No wait! Maybe this is the wierdest one. Yesterday, RT and I went bowling with our good friends Joseph and Ashley. We only go a few times a year, but it's often enough that everyone involved knows that I suck at bowling. I will always have the lowest score: it is a given. If I break 80 I feel like I've had a good game. I figured yesterday would be no exception, but some how I bowled the game of my life! I scored 126!! What in the world happened? Perhaps my body finally figured out the hand-eye coordination thing. Although, that's unlikely considering I seem to be significantly less coorinated now than ever. So I suppose this one will have to be resigned to the Pregnancy X Files.

Ha Ha Ha

While I was in Washington Missouri serving with J. Dowdle and we went over to a friends house to check up on her, and I can't remember her name, or the name of her son. But we were over one evening and I can see him pulling out his new toy, a new and clean toilet plungger. He wanted to show us his new trick. He pulled up his shirt showing his belly, and slammed his toilet plungger to himself and it stuck! Then he wiggled and moved! Dowdle and I just about lost it!

The other night while my brother in law and his family where over, his daughter found our never used toilet plungger and was making a lot of noise with it as it fell to the ground several times. So I picked it up and carried it as we walked them out. I had the bowl against my stomach and felt a tug as I pulled it away. In a flash, my mind was taken back to Washington.

I quickly pulled my shirt over my head and started to do just what my younger friend had done. I found that it is just as fun as it looks! And like I did then, Jennifer lost it!

My First Mother's Day as a Mother. . .Almost.

Since finding out that we are having a boy one week ago, this pregnancy has taken on a new dimention for me. I am no longer just pregnant. I am carrying a son! I don't know if I could truely explain why that is so much more significant to me than it was a week ago. It just is. It's more real, and more emotional now.

And with that change, Mother's Day has taken on a new dimention as well. Yesterday was a day of much contemplation, lots of happy tears, and incredible love and appreciation for my sweet husband!

At about 630am I found my RT wide awake in bed. He saw that my eyes were open and asked if I was awake and ready for my Mother's Day surprise yet. I smiled when he told me he had been awake since 4am waiting for me to wake up. We cuddled for a few minutes, then he gave me a card that he had made himself. I can only say it is a treasure, and that it got the water works started in a big way.

Here it is...

Double click on the images to enlarge.

After the tears stopped enough for me to see again, RT sent me on a scavenger hunt through the house. He used to do this in our apartment, but it's much more fun in our big house. It starts with a single drawing of some object or location in the house. once I find that object or location, there is another drawing waiting for me. And at the end of the hunt is a gift. This is way fun! The best part about it is that RT always get me awesome gifts. This time it was a video camera so we can record all the amazing events that are in our near future. RT and I have an agreement that he can film our son's birth as long as it is G rated. I would love to have all the emotions of our son's first moments preserved, but I already know there are other things that I don't want preserved for posterity.

I know many mother's have mixed feeling about Mother's Day. I probably will too in a few years. But for now I am basking in the glow of being a mother-to-be. And I am truely grateful that I get to share it with my best friend and amazing husband RT.

I know what that thing is!

A tall puddle of warm jell was placed on that soft and tender spot, with a towel tucked in below to keep the mess contained. With the magic wand that allows us to see into the future and the present at the same time we were given the gift of sight. We beheld a world of blackness, though light is beginning to grow in this small world. It was small, cramped, and surrounded by water, a thick water. We had waited weeks for this moment, and now we were here. We were slightly nervous, and yet overwhelmed with excitement! What are we going to see, how is this going to change our lives, who would like to be in this circle of insight?
Slowly this magic wand found images and took measurements that to us were interesting, but we didn't know why we really needed them. This wand pushed hard, and tried to move this creature, but it was stubborn, and wouldn't move, so the wand moved on. We saw parts and pieces, moving and idle, we saw familiar shapes, and wondered what others might be. I had a hope that we would see a jewel, if not two while we were exploring this world. As we saw the wand move to the area where we believed these jewels might be, I moved to the edge of my seat. There came a spot where I thought the jewels should be, and they weren't there. I was in the process of convincing myself that though the jewels weren't there, it would be okay, and wonderful still, a beautiful world. But then, with a quick adjustment with the wand, there they were, in plain sight, without question, the jewels, the family jewels! Oh my! I shook my fist in the air, hoot 'n hollered, shouted and was near to dancing! Jennifer, it's a boy! We're going to have a son!!!!!

At 19 weeks down, we are way excited.!

I want my 84 min. back

So last night Jenn and I first paid money for and then wasted 84+ minutes of our lives watching a movie that was the worst that have seen. Let me give you something to compare it with. Not so long ago we rented the movie "Ice Pirates". It was a funny movie because it was supposed to be funny. It came out in 1984 and is a great 80's flick. Another movie that Jenn wasn't as big a fan as I was that we rented was "Dragon Wars". This was a Korean's dream of putting out a film that would pull him into Hollywood, not so much. It rocked the house in Korea though.
Both of these films I could own, I could see myself watching again. In fact I could sit and watch "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" again, though I felt dumber after watching that movie than any other! The movie that I am compairing to these others is "Cloverfield". Oh my! That was a terrible movie! I watched some of the Special Features and the ideas and concepts that the designer and director had were never seen or hinted to in the movie. I am somewhat offended that Joe at our local Blockbuster didn't try to warn me that I was about to freely destroy 84 minutes of my life!

No Way!

Some people tell me that I look like this guy, what do you think? And any guesses who he is? Here's a tip, check out the eye brows.

Did you know...

A-Attached or Single?Attached to Jennifer
B-Best Friend? Jennifer
C-Cake or pie? Why must you make me choose?
D-Day of choice? The weekend, or any day I get to hang out with my wife! and I'm not just saying that.
E-Essential Item? Clean socks.
F-Favorite color? Blue/Green
G-Gummy bears or worms? Bears
H-Home town? Salt Lake City, Harvard/Yale area
I-Favorite indulgence? Home made chocolate Cookies
J-January or July? That's difficult. January is skiing, and July is biking! Stop asking me to choose!
K-Kids? 1 on the way!!!!!!
L-Life isn't complete without? The Gospel!
M-Marriage date? 10/24/06
N-Number of brothers and sisters? 2 brothers, one sister. 2 sisters in law, 4 brothers in law, plus thier spouses.
O-Oranges or Apples? Oranges!
P-Phobias? The dark! Especially after Hyrum stories.
Q-Quote? "what we do in life, echo's in eternity!"
R-Reasons to smile? My wife, my unborn child, my testimony, a good bike ride!
S-Season of choice? Fall, I love that the weather is nice. Warm during the day making for a great bike ride.
T-Tag 3 people: Cousin Laurie, Sabrina E., Cory Judd
U-Unknown fact about me? I have a vivid imagination
V-Vegetable? Frozen Peas, still frozen
W-Worst habit? Picking my nose
X-Xray or Ultrasound? That's easy and Ultrasound!
Y-Your favorite food? I do like Mexican, I do like a good burger, I do like chicken and broccoli casserole, and anything assisting with great gas.
Z-Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Pied Piper

I took this picture a few days ago at my parents house. We have 16 nieces and nephews and they Loooooooove RT! He is the favorite uncle by far. Even when RT and I were dating they followed him around where ever he went.

One Memorial Day we were at the Centerville cemetary. My sister-in-law and I watched RT walk all over the cemetary with a trail nieces and nephews in toe. My sister-in-law called him the "Pied Piper". I thought that was pretty grim. If you haven't read the story go this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_Piper
Fortunately RT is not sinister like the character in the story.

What do I think? Children love him, and I know he is going to be an amazing father!!

The Many uses of Easter Candy!

So this is what Jenn and I did with our Easter candy. We had the whopper eggs, and some jelly beans that we spun on our kitchen table.

Jenn did okay spinning, I tried to give her some of my novice spinning tips from my years of experience. I tried to get 10 eggs spinning at the same time, but the table (yes I'm blaming it on the table) had a slant in it, so they would run into each other. We successfully had 8 eggs spinning at once.

For what ever reason, since Jenn has been pregnant, her sweet tooth has subsided, and she is all into eating healthy. Though I have been blessed in that she has craved burgers! Big, good burgers! So why not take the opportunity to go to a nice burger place. Though most of her cravings have been for Subway, and that's cool too. Then I get to have my favorite: Foot long Italian herb and cheese cold cut trio with pepper jack cheese, lightly toasted. Then I throw a curve ball, add tuna. Get all the fixin's topped with four stripes of ranch. Jenn always gets the six inch Teryaki chicken with I think with provolone cheese, lettus, cucumbers, olives, and tomatoes. Which means more points on my subway card!